I’ve been using my multi-pot electric pressure cooker a lot. I’ve been making my standard pressure cooker recipes, including a delicious pot roast (recipe here – although I’ve been using whiskey instead of wine and really liking the flavor)
My multi-pot came with both a steamer tray and a steam basket. The former is so you can steam instead of boil your food and the latter so you can cook two items at once. On a busy day, I may not cook fancy, but with a pressure cooker you can put together a quick flavorful meal in a few minutes.
I thought it was time to give the steamer basket a try.
First up – the steamer tray. The one that came with the multi-pot is basically a wire rack. The one from my stove-top pressure cooker is a flat tray.
I wondered if it would fit and sure enough it did. So I started with that one, since I was more familiar with it. What I love about the steamer tray is you can infuse whatever you’re cooking with lots of flavor by placing a spice packet (I use unbleached coffee filters and string) under the tray, add just enough water to cover the tray and cook as usual. Super flavorful when pressure cooked.
I made Chicken in BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes:
Shredded BBQ Chicken
- 3 small boneless chicken breasts
- salt & pepper
- red wine vinegar
- water
- spice packet: rosemary, sage, garlic, oregano – crushed together and tied into a flat spice packet to fit under the tray
Lightly salt and pepper chicken breasts. In the multi-pot add enough liquid (1/2 water and 1/2 red wine vinegar) to barely cover the tray. Add spice packet, steaming tray and then chicken breasts.
Now it’s time to add the potatoes in the steaming basket.
Mashed Potatoes
- 4 potatoes (I like yukon gold, but any will do), washed and cut into eight pieces each)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Place the steam basket into the multi-pot and add potatoes.
Now it’s time to attach the lid and cook according to directions – use the time for the longest cooking item, in this case the chicken (15 minutes vs. 10 minutes for the potatoes).
Once the cooker has depressurized, add potatoes to a large bowl to mash, heat milk and butter in microwave until butter is melted and add to potatoes. Mash and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover to keep warm.
For the chicken, remove from the pressure cooker to a plate. Remove spice packet and liquid (I save the liquid and freeze for soup base). Shred chicken (I use two forks, pulling in opposite directions) and then add back into the multi-pot along with BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Rays – sweet & spicy – is my favorite) and turn the multi-pot to WARM. Let simmer until everything is heated through (a couple of minutes).
Serve with steamed buttered green beans for a quick evening meal. It’s not fancy, but it’s also not fast food. ;-)
This technique can be used with many items – instead of BBQ you can skip the vinegar when cooking and then use the liquid, along with milk, butter and flour to make a quick gravy after the chicken has steamed. Shred the chicken, add to the gravy and serve over potatoes.
Use this two-tier ctechnique with pot roast, ribs, pork roast… etc.
I think I’m going to try lemon juice, chicken and rice for my next quickie concoction.
Note on steamer tray – I made my first batch of mashed potatoes without it and the potatoes were watery. The next batch I switched to the steamer tray and they were smooth and creamy. Lesson: steam whenever you can instead of boil.
For all my present and future Multi-Pot recipes, bookmark this link.
Next Multi-Pot recipe will be Sesame Chicken.
What’s on your menu this Sunday night? Any Massachusetts peeps running/viewing the marathon tomorrow? Feel free to share recipes and discuss whatever.
Open thread
EBT
Multi pot recipe is what I make when I have a little bit left in several jars.
cain
Nice. I always use my pressure cooker but it’s more for idlis, dal fry, and other assorted things. Today, I’m making chole, and I roasted and grinded my own spices to make it. I’ve been really liking the flavor! Since we’re local, I’d really love to do some kind of BJ potluck! :)
Garbo
Your choice of Sweet Baby Rays speaks well of your moral character.
raven
I bought an extra pot and a silicone lid for mine. I made a simple marinara for din tonight.
cain
Is your spice packet, dried herbs or fresh or both?
TaMara (HFG)
@cain: Generally for that I used dried. But I would expect fresh to work to. And if you’re not going to reserve the liquid for anything, you can skip the packet and just add the spices to the liquid.
TaMara (HFG)
Also, I was going to do a final proof of this before it posted, but I’ve been away from my computer all day…and now I need to walk the dogs. So if something is amiss, tag me in the comments and I’ll fix later. thanks!
wkwv
Do you think an aluminum tea ball used to hold dry herbs would survive an instant pot?
chopper
r. lee ermey died. dang.
Sab
that looks so good. I don’t have an instapot. Would it work with a rice cooker on a longer time frame?
NotMax
Link goes to beef stew recipe, not pot roast.
PsiFighter37
If you live in NYC or have access to cooking utilities, you should go to Japan Premium Beef in East Village and buy their product. Best homemade hamburgers ever (without anything – buns, lettuce, ketchup) on them. It’s in East Village on the best-named street in NYC. Google and enjoy.
PF37 +5
satby
@Sab: no idea, but I would probably try it in a slow cooker instead of a rice cooker.
The late, great Roger Ebert wrote a cook book based on using his rice cooker, and it has some good recipes
Sab
My mother left me a stovetop Revereware pressure cooker that she loved and that I am terrified of using (and TaMara told me months ago I am correct in being afraid of it.)
Does the instapot do anything other than be quicker? I understand working youngsters concern with speed, having lived that life for forty years. I am about to retire, so I will have all the time to cook as I always have, but without the time pressures I used to live with. What does the instapot give me that leisure won’t already provide?
cain
I’ve heard the instapop is a great alternative.
Sab
@satby: Thanks. I have one of those. I am desperate not to have more appliances sitting on my limited counter space using up my limited electric outlets.
satby
@Sab: I really like my Instant Pot for a lot of things, but for cooking beans of any kind it’s the best. Chili, bean soup, pea soup, Indian dal, etc all come out creamy and wonderful. I make a lot of soups and stews in it too. Outstanding for pulled pork.
satby
@wkwv: I wouldn’t risk it.
CarolDuhart2
@Sab: Retired here and owner of pot. The meat is always tender, the vegetables can be steamed with seasoning, eggs are perfect. And not having to hover over several pots and pans is nice, too.
Sab
@satby: So its good for those annoying recipes where you have to cook gently for 24 or 36 hours stirring constantly, kind of like many old southern recipes? Just put in the instapot and blast it?
ETA cause I cant type.
NotMax
@Sab
Thing I appreciate is that, since one can saute, steam, simmer or pressure cook in it, one can cook up separately all the parts of a nice meal (entree, sides, gravy or sauce, even soup) and at the end have only the one pot to clean.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@satby: Madame was quite impressed with it’s quick rice cookin’ abilities. I joined the cult in early January.
satby
@Sab: I’m a bit of a kitchen gadget freak, I have a lot. Only the electric kettle, toaster and coffee pot are out full time.The rest come out only in use. My counter is literally only 36 inches long, and the last foot is angled so it decreases in depth to 8 inches. I really have no room!
satby
@Sab: yes. And what CarolD, NotMax, and Billin said. I even got the model that makes yogurt, though I haven’t tried that yet.
Mnemosyne
One of my favorite authors spoke at our RWA meeting today, so I talked to her after the meeting and told her I had gotten 15th place in my very first writing contest. She was very happy for me (or at least faked it well.)
(I stalk her local appearances, and by “stalk” I mean I go to the ones that are within 5 miles of home as long as they fit with the rest of my schedule. So I’m able to have a short chat with her about every six months.)
rikyrah
Dinner looks delicious ?
Sab
I haven’t used my once loved foreman grill in 15 years.
satby
@raven: how does that silicone lid work for you? I was eyeballing that myself, but wasn’t sure I would use it that much.
Sab
@satby: I am so old-fashioned that I have a stovetop percolator for my coffee.
schrodingers_cat
Did lots of cooking this weekend. I don’t have an Instapot but I am using my slow cooker to make stews, soups etc.
Made two types of chicken
1. Butter chicken
2. Mom’s chicken recipe (with roasted onions and coconut and spices)
3. Beef with red wine
4. Sour chickpeas
5. Potato bhaji
6.Green beans with cranberries and garlic
7.Hummus with roasted red peppers and chipotle
8. Strawberry smoothie
9. Lassi with chai masala
10. Chicken tortilla soup
donnah
We just finished a yummy stir fry, one with chicken and veggies, and a simple veggie one, too. One had marinated chicken and fresh multicolor bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, red onion, carrots, and garlic, the veggie one had the same, but added pea pods and mushrooms, hold the chicken. Seasoned and flavored with sesame oil, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce and a spicy Asian red sauce.
Boy, was that good!
Brachiator
@CarolDuhart2:
You can zap eggs is this thing? Interesting.
The versatility and fast prep is very tempting.
Sab
You all have sort of convinced me on the instapot except that my spouse passionately hates beans in any form, so cooking them isn’t a bonus (except I could cook some for me while he isn’t watching)
NotMax
Contemplating slicing a pork loin into medallions and using those in place of chops for this Instant Pot recipe.
2 tablespoons butter
6 pork chops, center cut, 1/2 – 3/4-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup garlic cloves crushed
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup milk
Set Instant Pot to Sauté. When display reads hot, add the butter
Season meat with salt and pepper, and brown the chops on both sides. Remove the chops and deglaze the pan with the chicken broth.
Return the pork chops to the cooker and cover with the crushed garlic cloves.
Using the Manual setting, adjust to high pressure and set cooking time to 8 minutes. When time is up, allow pressure to naturally release. Set chops on a platter.
Stir cornstarch into milk, whisk into the pan juices and bring to a boil using the Sauté setting. Stir and allow to thicken.
Sab
@schrodingers_cat: I am so sorry you live in MA because I want you to cook for me.
We have lots of Nepalis in my small city. They have restaurants. Do you know anything about their food?
Kirk
@Sab: Yes. Well, not the ‘must stir constantly type’, but the long-cook?
Others talk beans. Me, I talk stock and broth. A good stock is 8 hours. A good stock from the pressure cooker is 2.
You cook. You know what a good stock’s worth. And 2 hours to good fresh stock, leaving you all day to cook something with it?
Yeah, I like my pot.
schrodingers_cat
@Sab: Not much. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a lot of overlap with North Indian cuisine.
Wag
Grilling a leg of lamb tonight, but used our multi pot last night for sushi rice for pokè bowls that were awesome. We went to our local Asian fish market for sashimi grade tuna and salmon, and had a wide variety of mix ins. https://instagram.com/p/BhnG874Hk2p/
EBT
Very good week for me. Wrote three short smut stories totaling just about 5K words.
Another Scott
Lately I’ve been using our microwave (a 1200W Panasonic with a carousel) for chicken and rice.
1/2 cup Basmati rice
salt and spices to taste
optional splash of olive oil (or fat of your choice)
2 frozen chicken breast “tenders”
1 cup water
Combine in quart microwave safe dish
Put in microwave, hit “Rice” button.
Go away for about 20 minutes, prepare other veggies, salads, etc., while you’re waiting. Wait for the “ding”.
1-2 servings (depending on how hungry you are). ;-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Mnemosyne
@schrodingers_cat:
My aunt-in-law is in Goa right now. I’m waiting for her to update Facebook.
(She and G’s uncle love cruises and go all over the world. Last year they did China, this year it’s South and Southeast Asia.)
NotMax
@Brachiator
It also works surprisingly well in making spaghetti with store bought or already prepared sauce plus water in one fell swoop. And no need to drain anything in a colander, it somehow magically thickens up to the proper sauce consistency with a minute or two of light stirring when it is done.
Mnemosyne
@EBT:
I read two research books for my novel and I’m halfway through a third. And Tessa Dare patted me on the arm. ?
Sab
You all have sort of convinced me on the instapot except that my spouse passionately hates beans in any form, so cooking them isn’t a bonus (except I could cook some for me while he isn’t watching)@Kirk: Yhat is informative. Thanks.
schrodingers_cat
@Mnemosyne: I love Goa. Fresh seafood, people are chill, beaches are pristine. Old churches and temples in Old Goa are also worth seeing. I hope they are able to get off the tourist track. I have never had a bad or even mediocre meal in Goa.
EBT
@Mnemosyne: very nice. I’m taking a few days off from drawing backgrounds for my big project to do these. I get a few bucks here and there in tips.
Sab
Can I complain now about eldercaring? For the last ten years everything I needed has been in my house, my dad’s house or my office. I have duplicates of everything. And invariably, wheenever I need something, it’s in the third place, where I don’t have a duplicate.
People being judgmental about my organizational skills should try running two households and an office without much support for ten years. It ain’t easy and I frequently screw up, but there is nobody in line to take my job. I would hand it over in a heartbeat.
Mnemosyne
@schrodingers_cat:
They usually do the small specialty cruises for these trips, not the big tourist-y ships. They’re in pretty good health and G’s uncle has gotten both of his knees replaced now, but they’re not really up for a lot of strenuous walking (hence the cruises).
schrodingers_cat
@Sab: Wow, that sounds super human. If anyone is being judgy-judgmental tell them to STFU.
You can come over for dinner anytime, just give me some advance notice.
laura
I made a potato, cauliflower and leek soup and will be blitzing to velvet for work-related soup for breakfast this week and the spouse made a rib rack with beans and KFC slaw.
I’m hard-pressed to see a need for the instapot. My mom was ascared of having a stove top pressure cooker, and my gram felt that any kitchen with a sharp knife, a pan and a skillet was too show-offy.
But the jackal reports from the field are intriguing and varied and tempting.
Jerry
My favorite aspect of using an InstantPot is that I can cook beets, sweet potatoes, regular ol’ potatoes, and other usually long-time-in-the-stove foods without heating up the rest of the house, which is a giant advantage considering that I live in the South. Also, it perfectly soft/semihard/hard boils eggs. Perfect. Lastly, since the InstantPot is so popular with the Desi community, there are lots of great recipes from that part of the world.
TaMara (HFG)
@NotMax: You are right and for the life of me I cannot find my pressure cooker pot roast recipe, it’s very specific. So I’ll rectify that with the next recipe post. Meanwhile, enjoy the beef stew, I guess.
Yutsano
@Sab: @schrodingers_cat: CNN has a good primer on it.
cleek
did an instaPot pork shoulder yesterday – ‘carnitas’ style. 90 minute pork shoulder? incredible.
Mandarama
I got this for Christmas and it’s made my life SO much easier. Our teens’ activities mean lateness getting home, wiped out after work, etc. The amazing thing is that frozen chicken breasts can be cooked in lots of ways with NO thawing even—9 minutes and it’s never tough or stringy. A lifesaver. I have a pork chili verde recipe my SIL sent me that I want to try this week.
I owe two Juicers for recipes my family loved! danielx for Italian beef sandwiches (I think he used a slow cooker, but I adapted the recipe for my IP), and jeffrey’s IP chicken marsala. Thank you both!
NorthLeft12
@Sab: We have an Instant Pot and I personally don’t find it much quicker, but it does a nice job with cheaper cuts of meat so that it is more moist and tender.
My wife is the enthusiastic expert of our Instant Pot. I am more old school. It does do a great job with rice too.
Doug R
@satby:
You can make wine, or at least get the 48 hour start on wine with an instant pot on the low yogurt setting. You need to let it brew for another 8 to 30 days. Mine tasted like local socks from 30 years ago, but it was drinkable.
https://www.today.com/recipes/instant-pot-wine-recipe-t124206
Doug R
@Brachiator:
Five minute “boiled” eggs. Easy peel.
Corner Stone
@Sab: He hates beans and he hates pozole. This is starting to be determinative.
phein58
@Sab: It’s made me a better cook for a lot of recipes where choice of done-ness is up to the cook: Pork Carnitas, lots of Indian chicken recipes, different kinds of rice (brown, jasmine, etc., that I don’t normally cook [basmati]), lamb stews. The meat is consistently tender and cooked through, and it browns and pressure cooks all in the same pot — buy an extra, you’ll be happy if you do –, even the root vegetables and mushrooms turn out consistently excellent.
I think of it as the autotune of cooking (I cook a lot, but I’m not very good, same as my singing ability).
Steeplejack
@phein58:
Excellent thumbnail description.
seaboogie
In my little galley kitchen that is wonderfully well-appointed, I have no room for an insta-pot.
Being a singleton without kids, I’m rarely in a hurry – so I enjoy the long slow process when I’m making beans or soup. Tonight I’m making split pea soup with curry, carrots, celery, onions and some barley for texture. Perfect rainy weekend dish, and it smells heavenly!
kingweasil
wife did hard boiled eggs, easiest egg i have ever peeled. shell came off in second. rice is also great in this. ribs came right off the bone,but i think she browned them after. she also cooks frozen chicken wings ect. takes up some space but we love it.
Ol'Froth
My wife bought me one for Christmas, and I guess its just me, but aside from making soup, I really don’t like the multi-pot. You can’t safely can low-acid food in it (not enough pressure) and I think a slow cooker develops much better flavor.